Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator not cold

There are a lot of reasons why a refrigerator won’t cool. If you would like to save yourself some time and hassle, give F&S Fort Worth Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Fort Worth, TX. We are eager to come out and diagnose the problem and fix it for you.

When a refrigerator has lost its cold anymore, it’s time to determine what the problem is. Most times it’s something as simple as a good coil cleaning. However, with new models of refrigerators, they are manufactured with various sensors too.

Before we investigate further, we look at the most common and simple reasons for this issue. Here are a couple of of the issues that we have found lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is the cord plugged into an electrical outlet? This may seem like it’s a funny question, but we have been hired for jobs that this was the problem. For some reason, the refrigerator was unplugged. it’s possible a child or pet did it, or an electrician during a service visit. Whatever the cause may be, make sure it is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside of the refrigerator. This is a very typical issue for customers with children in their house. After all, kids like dials and buttons and so, without knowing they are doing anything bad, they mess with them. So, be sure that the thermostat setting is not the cause of the warm fridge.

Refrigerator Components to Troubleshoot?

Be sure the vents inside the freezer aren’t blocked with containers or food. This is very common since sometimes bags of frozen vegetables get pushed in the back of the freezer. There might be food in the way back of a freezer that has long been forgotten.

Check that the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of all debris. To be sure, unplug the fridge and slide it away from the wall. The fan for several models is just at the bottom of the appliance or in the back part of the freezer portion. A lot of times, people don’t think to clean this section of the fridge. But, it’s very important to clean it. And, it fills up with fuzz and dust quickly, especially in homes that have cats and dogs. So, find a rag and clean the collected dust out of the refrigerator coils and fan.

This is not a suggestion for refrigerators that have the back coil system. Once everything is clean, plug it into the outlet and notice if the cooling fan spins.

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Refrigerator is Not

There are a few more reasons for a refrigerator not cooling after these more common ones to start to check if the freezer is cool but the fridge is not. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This occurs if there is a malfunction in the defrost system. Or when the automatic defrost experiences a problem. The evaporator fan motor can be another cause.

Every fridge has a pair of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what gets cold and the fan pushes the cool air around inside the unit. The damper control assembly is not working the right way. The temperature control board which provides the electricity to the compressor and fan, this isn’t likely the issue but it is worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor could be malfunctioning, which is a little sensor in the appliance that tells the temperature. Having one of our technicians inspect it is the best option but these are a few of of the most common issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES